Schism part 1
There's too much war going on. Internally, I mean. "Head vs heart" or whatever you want to call it. Paul wrote of it when describing being under the Law; doing what he didn't want to to do and not doing what he wanted to do. Being pulled in one direction but wanting to go in another. James 1:8 says, "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." That's the problem. Here's the solution: "And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another " (1 Corinthians 12:23-25). We see things as black and white. I'm over here and you're over there. Members Only. Or we see ourselves as one thing, but trying to be something else. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to try to be someone you're not. Because at the end of the day, you are who you are. You are who God made you. And that's all you'll ever need to be. That's who you're supposed to be. But here's what I'm trying to say: God hath tempered the body together. We have no lack because our God has no lack, right? But that doesn't mean I can do it all on my own. Its not good that man should be alone. Having no lack might mean that I have people in my life that can pick up the slack for me. People that I am tempered together with. People that I am in relationship with. That, of course, means that we have to HAVE relationship with people though. I believe the only time we should ever look down on people is when we are reaching down to hold them up. I believe that if both sides want to, there is no reason we can't get along. And if we just plain can't... well, its a big world. We don't need to interact with everybody. Sometimes you just shrug your shoulders and move on down the road. Here's my focus for this Rant series though, because as important as our relationships one with another is... we need to get right with OURSELVES. We need to get rid of the schism in our own minds. In our own hearts. And just so we know for sure what we're talking about here, the word "schism" in 1 Corinthians is number 4978 in Strong's Greek Concordance. It means, "a split or gap, division, rent." Two different sides. Disharmony. Things not lining up. And, as I've been Ranting about, I think the best way to "line" things up... is to let God shine His light and show us that things ARE lined up. Things are in Divine Order. Right now. We don't need to put them there, we simply need to see them there. Our passage says there should be NO schism in the body. Again, getting along with your fellow man, yes. But also in OUR body. Individually. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. But a man who knows who he is... can BE who he is. A man who knows that he is loved... can love. Love is the thing that connects us. Love is the thing that lines everything up. Love is the thing that gets rid of the schism!